


Familiar

by willowtears



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Dorks in Love, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Happy Ending, I don't know if this is actually angst but there's sadness, M/M, Melancholy, School Reunion
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-28
Updated: 2020-10-28
Packaged: 2021-03-09 05:27:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,790
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27249532
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/willowtears/pseuds/willowtears
Summary: It's time for Lukas and Matthias' high school reunion, and they haven't seen each other in ten years.
Relationships: Denmark/Norway (Hetalia)
Kudos: 16





	Familiar

**Author's Note:**

> Feel free to join my Hetalia Discord server if you'd like!
> 
> https://discord.gg/MkxtAes

Matthias Køhler was an old book, one that Lukas had loved and cherished for so long until he had somehow fallen out of reach. His face had already been wrinkled from smiles that Lukas had helped create, wrinkles from smiles that were almost permanently printed there. It was clear as day that Matthias was loved. 

That was why when Lukas received the invitation to their high school reunion, he ripped it up and tossed it out, only to fish it out of the waste basket moments later. 

He’d seen Matthias around, and he knew that he had some new girl (girls?) in his life. But no one else knew Matthias like Lukas did; they just knew that Matthias was funny and handsome. They didn’t know his story, and the words printed were ones they chose not to understand. They probably didn’t even know about Lukas, even though Lukas and Matthias had been together for every single year of high school. 

_ Why not?  _ Lukas wondered, his chin balancing in his soft palm as he read the cursive lettering on the invitation.  _ It could be nice to reconnect.  _

Two weeks later, and Lukas couldn’t stop lying to himself about why he was really going. 

His palms sweat and shook as he fixed his hair and his tie; he was incredibly nervous, and while it didn’t show on his face, he could definitely feel it everywhere else. His stomach was churning and he was surprised he hadn’t outright collapsed. He refused to admit to himself that every stroke of the comb was fueled by the need to talk to Matthias, that every shade of lipstick he applied was applied for the sole purpose of leaving it all over the lover he’d lost ten years ago. He wanted to see him so badly, and not just from afar. 

Looking at himself in the mirror, a slight smile turned the corners of his black-stained lips upwards. He tried his damn hardest to wear his confidence on his sleeve, like Matthias was somehow always able to do. 

But that just wasn’t who he was. His smile disappeared into the dark again, hardening into a thin black line that better suited the dramatic makeup painting his face.

It took a long while, but he finally bought himself enough courage to leave the house, bidding his dog farewell and locking the door behind him before making his way towards whatever the night would turn out to be.

*

The moment he stepped inside, all eyes were on him, staring for a few moments in shock. Lukas guessed that no one had been expecting him to show up.  _ If no one was expecting me, why’d they even invite me? _ Regardless of that thought, he was glad he was there--well, if the night turned out well he would be. Looking around the room, he didn’t see Matthias’ beautiful blue eyes or crazy, golden mane of hair. Granted, he was early, but he was already starting to worry that he came for no reason. He turned to back out, and felt his peers muttering behind him, muttering about how they knew he’d back out at the last second. 

Someone pulled open the door for him and he took it, his gaze lowered to the floor as he walked through. He withdrew a cigarette and a lighter from his pocket and began to smoke, leaning back against the red bricks of his old school. 

He watched as many of his former classmates walked past him in a blur of color. Some of them were still with the friends they’d had in high school. Lukas wished he was that lucky, but he didn’t talk to anyone from high school. Not like he’d really talked to anyone other than Matthias while he was there in the first place, but he still felt lonely. A few people stopped and waved at him, and he was grateful for them, but they weren’t the ones he wanted to see. 

Deciding to go back in again, he joined the last trickle of people heading inside. He still hadn’t seen Matthias, which was strange, because he’d thought that Matthias would be excited about this sort of thing. But he was nowhere to be found, and he was the only reason Lukas was there. 

Before he could think too much about leaving, however, a pair of arms wrapped tightly around his waist, long hair brushing against his neck and leaving a trail of uncomfortable tingling. “Hey, what-”

“Lukas, I thought that was you!” 

“Vlad?” 

Sure enough, Lukas was spun around to face Vladimir, who looked almost exactly the same as he had when they were friends back in high school. His strawberry blonde hair was longer now, but other than that, not much had changed; he still had the same gleaming, mischievous smile. “What’s been going on with you? I haven’t seen you in a long time.” Vladimir had left in the middle of junior year due to a family emergency back in Romania, and they hadn’t talked since then; Lukas felt bad, because they’d been fairly close friends and he hadn’t even tried to talk to him after he’d left. 

“Well...I’m a makeup artist now,” Lukas replied, shrugging. He wasn’t about to tell Vlad every single thing that's happened since they’d left off; he wasn’t really one for small talk, even if it was with an old friend. 

Vladimir sighed at him, clearly displeased with the answer. “Oh, come on. I know there’s more than that- not that that isn’t cool, but I want to know more than your job. What about Matthias?”

Lukas winced, and all the painfully good memories flooded back into his mind, slicing through his (somewhat) calm demeanor like a knife. All the welcoming feelings of familiarity faded away. His small smile turned into a frown. Vladimir’s eyes immediately widened and he pursed his lips, his smile falling away too. “Oh…I just thought-”

Lukas shook his head gently at Vladimir; it was okay, he hadn’t known. That didn’t lessen the pain, though. 

“Well...why did you come? He organized this thing…”

“I wanted to see him.”

Vladimir sighed and rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly; he was ashamed and it was written all over his face. “What happened to you two?”

“We just kind of fell apart when we went to college.” 

“I get it…” Vladimir lowered his eyes. “Well, if it helps, he’s been looking all over the place for you.” 

Lukas’ face flushed a million shades of pink, and he blinked at Vladimir with wide eyes. “Really?” Hope filled his heart, causing the butterfly feeling to possess him again. He took off, hearing Vladimir calling after him but at the same time not really hearing it at all.

His footsteps echoed through the otherwise silent corridors, his shoes occasionally squeaking on the smooth linoleum floor. Everywhere he looked, he could conjure up memories of spending time with Matthias there. The drinking fountains, where they met up. The teacher’s lounge, which they’d painted together and had frequently stolen coffee from. The art classroom, where they’d always eaten lunch. 

Lukas found Matthias huddled on the floor by the art display case. Their senior collaboration, which had won first place in an art competition, was still hanging up in the same spot they’d placed it years ago, though now it was joined by other pieces.

Matthias’ face was buried in his knees, and his shoulders were shaking. Lukas sat down next to him and rested his head on his lost lover’s shoulder.

“Lukas?” His voice sounded hollow.

“Mads.” Lukas sighed out happily. It all seemed so familiar, the smell of apples, the feeling of blonde spikes tickling his neck as Matthias lifted his head. He gazed up at him, unable to stop himself from reaching up to cup his cheek, his palms brushing against rough stubble. They were men now, what a strange thought- the last time they’d talked, they’d just been silly little boys. “How are you?” 

Matthias wiped away his tears with his jacket sleeve and gave Lukas a lopsided smile, shrugging lightly. For once, it seemed like he had nothing to say; he was usually such a chatterbox and it worried Lukas that he was being so quiet. 

“Are you okay?” Lukas asked. 

“Nah. I missed you.”

A sad smile crossed Lukas’ face, and he gently pulled Matthias into a bittersweet kiss. A melancholy atmosphere surrounded them as Matthias returned the kiss, more tears trickling down his face. Stubble scratched Lukas, rubbed his skin red, but he didn’t mind much as he pulled Matthias a little closer, looping his arms around his shoulders. 

They pulled away a few minutes later, and Matthias opened his bright blue eyes. They’d lost that flare, that mischievous spark they had always had, but he was giving Lukas a genuine smile now, and Lukas chuckled because now Matthias’ lips mirrored his own, stained with black. 

“Look at you.” Matthias sighed out, gently running his fingers across Lukas’ smooth face before kissing his cheeks and nose. “Lukas, we’re so old-”

“We’re not that old,” Lukas chuckled, tracing the wrinkles creasing Matthias’ face and the stubble on his chin. “Well, you might be-”

Matthias caught Lukas’ lips in another kiss, and Lukas gladly melted into it. “You look just the same,” Matthias murmured out, a hint of jealousy in his tone. “You’re still the most beautiful person I know, Lukas.”

“More beautiful than your girlfriend?”

“What girlfriend?”

Lukas shrugged and waved that away; he must have been wrong about that girl and Matthias’ relationship. “I guess you don’t have one.”

Matthias shook his head. “Of course I don’t. We never actually broke up…”

“Was that the only reason why you don’t have one?” All at once, the butterfly feeling disappeared. He shouldn’t have just assumed Matthias would want him back like that. 

However, Matthias shook his head. “Nej, of course not...Lukas, I want to be yours.”

“I want to be yours, too.” They stood, their fingers intertwined, their palms warm against each other. They gazed at their collaboration. “Do you think it’ll ever be like that again?”

“Like when we were young?” Matthias tilted his head at their reflections in the glass case. “I dunno, but I already feel young again.”

“We have a lot of catching up to do.” They began to head back down the hall to where the actual reunion was, the sound of voices getting louder as they drew nearer to their destination. Lukas clutched Matthias’ hand a little more tightly, a little nervous about diving back into the crowd of people.

Matthias laughed and gazed down at him, his eyes sparkling. “I’m fine getting to know you all over again, Lu.”


End file.
